Mommy Life

May 13, 2009 2:41 PM

Les Miserables - MommyLife Summer Reading Club

Here's my summer reading proposal:

For some, this may be a new kind of reading endeavor. If you're not used to reading for pleasure, or if you've been reading modern novels, committing to read a 1500 page classic may seem like a formidable task.

Let me offer a couple words of encouragement:

Taking 12 weeks to read a 1500-page book breaks down to 125 pages per week. That's pretty leisurely! And it will leave you time to read other things when you can only concentrate on something light.

Just because you didn't enjoy reading as a teen doesn't mean you won't enjoy it as an adult. We are never limited by our past. God made us to grow and learn and expand our ability to perceive, enjoy and understand the world. I've always loved to read. But as someone who knew little about classical music or art until I was a young mother, I know that God used my children to motivate me to learn more.

I know moms don't have a lot of time to read. I still rarely find time to read books during the day, but usually just when I go to bed at night - which means I don't get as much reading done as I'd like because I fall asleep. I am going to carve out at least 30 minutes a day this summer just for Les Miz.

If you don't already have one, June 1 might be a great day to begin a daily reading hour with your children where you sit together outside or inside and read books. Each can read individually, just enjoying a quiet time together. Or If your children are old enough - over 10 - you might want to read Les Miz aloud, making it a family summer project. Or if Dad wants to be involved, he could read aloud each night. There are adult themes, but they are rich discussion starters. These were the days when evil was not glorified.

I will plan to post weekly - every Monday morning. Of course, you know I'm not a legalist about these things :) (Still need to wrap up Animal Farm - but I think the wrap-up will be richer because of what has been revealed politically in the last month.)

Then everyone can chime in with their observations.

Please leave a comment if you are interested in reading along - whether you plan to comment or not.

I am going to suggest that if at all possible, we use the same book. There are abridged versions and there are different translations. For me, abridged is out of the question - as a writer, I respect the total vision Hugo had for his book - and I often imagine the powerful inspiration that would drive a writer to mix ink, file the nibs, and painstakingly write thousands of pages by hand to create a gift like this.

As far as translations, they can sometimes hinder the reading experience. In the case of Les Miz, one stands out. It is available at Amazon and there are some used copies. There are none at PaperbackSwap.

You can also check Amazon to read reviews by others who affirm what a life-changing book this was for them.

Amazon is having a 4-for-3 sale right now, so that if you buy four qualifying items, the lowest-priced one is free. If you enter through MommyLife, your purchases help support this site - and give me the time to blog instead of writing for pay :)

Posted in Books, Les Miserables Book Study | Permalink

Comments

I'll read along. My husband has read the book so we have it on hand. I keep wanting to read it, but then I get distracted. This is just what I need to stay on task!

Posted by: lauren | May 13, 2009 3:46 PM

I just ordered it. Count me in.

Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | May 13, 2009 3:55 PM

I will read it again!! I read it in high school and loved it. The musical is one of my favorites!

Posted by: Momma | May 13, 2009 4:06 PM

Also be sure to see the movie of LES MISERABLES with Charles Laughton (PeaceBeUponHim).

Posted by: MovieCritic | May 13, 2009 4:15 PM

Count me in! I've tried to read it before, but never made it very far; I look forward to having some accountability. Also, I love your idea of a half hour of everyone reading "together" (in the same room) -- maybe with that, I'll have a chance of keeping up! (Although I know better than to count on it -- I have a beginning reader in the house! "Mommy, what does 'Frances' spell?")

Posted by: Newt Sherwin | May 13, 2009 5:30 PM

I'm looking forward to reading it for the first time.

Christina

Posted by: Christina | May 13, 2009 6:54 PM

If anyone finds they have no time to read, do like I do: wait until everyone is asleep, then read until dawn. :)

Posted by: Marie | May 13, 2009 8:00 PM

I'd like to take a stab at it ... my mother, born in 1927, once told me that it was a fabulous book, better than the movie. I've seen the Broadway show twice. Regarding which version to read, since I know it's a classic that should be kept forever, I'm apt to want to buy it in hardback. Will this pose a problem?

Posted by: Nelda | May 13, 2009 8:46 PM

Regarding hardcover, it seems that the version you are recommending - which is considered the best translation - is not available in hardcover. Pity, as a homeschooler, I would like to build up our library with hardcover classics such as Les Mis, War and Peace, etc.

Posted by: Nelda | May 13, 2009 9:10 PM

I'm sure I'm having a "duh" moment but can someone please tell me where the link for the Amazon version of Les Mis is? For some reason I can never see the links in your posts, Barbara. I can not wait to read Les Mis for the first time. My family really enjoys the Focus on the Family audio version, though. I'm off to invite my mom and sister to join in the summer book club. Thanks!

Posted by: Lynn in AK | May 13, 2009 11:39 PM

I'm definitely interested in giving this a try. I've wanted to read this book for some time, but been intimidated by the length.

Posted by: Julia | May 14, 2009 6:43 AM

I am going to splurge on a hardcover version. Sometimes I find that long classics reduced to paperback have such small print (only because my eyesight is the pits...and getting worse!)

Here is a link to a harcover, but I want to be sure it is up to snuff. Can anyone tell me if this is going to be a quality version? I don't want to spent the money and be disappointed.

Posted by: kelly | May 14, 2009 10:36 AM

I really hear all of you who want to invest in a hardback. And kelly, that looks like a beautiful edition.

The problem is that apparently the only edition translated by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee is the Signet paperback. I searched yesterday and there just is no hardback available.

From what I understand, translation is an important part of the reading experience - because some translators are clunky, making for difficult reading and some are too loose with the intent of the author.

We have a 2-volume hardback edition of Les Miz on our bookshelf. I found it at a used bookstore and it is beautiful, but I've never read it. We have stuck with the Signet paperback because of the reputation of the translator.

Here is what a comment at Amazon said:

Whether you have a miserable experience or a wonderful one will be determined by which translation of *Les Miserables* you're reading.

Three translations are currently available: one by Charles E. Wilbour, one by Lee Fahnestock/Norman MacAfee (based on Wilbour), and one by Norman Denny. You can also get abridged (cut) versions.

Don't get any abridged version. It's like reading a toilet paper wrapper - an almost worthless experience! If you have to write a report on *Les Miz* but prefer to skip reading it, then get the Cliffs Notes. The Cliffs Notes are better than abridged versions.

If you want to read *Les Miz*, which translation is best? Simple: the Lee Fahnestock/Norman MacAfee.

First of all, the Charles E. Wilbour translation was published in 1862, the year Hugo finished writing *Les Miz*. Wilbour translated all 1200 pages of *Les Miz* in just a few months, and it shows. What Wilbour wrote isn't French, it isn't English - it isn't any known tongue. It just can't be read. (Oh sure, it can be STUDIED, and it's the version in which I first read *Les Miz*, and some parts of it are okay, since Hugo is hard to kill.) This bad translation is around only because most publishers are too cheap to pay for new translations.

Norman Denny's translation is new and published by Penguin, but it's bad, too. In the biography of Victor Hugo by Graham Robb, the Denny translation is called "a Swiss cheese of unavowed omissions and [it] bears out Hugo's comments on translation as a form of censorship. The translator does admit to 'thinning out, but never completely eliminating, [*Les Miz's*] lapses.'" Hm ... lapses? Here are some other remarks by Denny about *Les Miz*: "'wholly unrestrained,' 'no regard for the discipline of novel-writing,' 'moralizing rhetoric,' 'exasperating,' 'self-indulgent.'" Hugo is hard to kill, but Denny proves it's possible: I read his translation and it's the dullest of all time.

The best translation is the Lee Fahnestock/Norman MacAfee one. Signet Classics publishes it. The cover shows the drawing of the waif from the musical.

This translation (and no other) gets as close to the real thing as possible, in English. If Hugo had written in English, he would have written this. You can hear Hugo's "voice" and feel his living spirit. Though not perfect (few things are), this is a great achievement. Get the Lee Fahnestock/Charles MacAfee translation (that's two people), and leave the others on the shelf!

That said, I am not a legalist and we can all do just fine reading different translations. Just want to help you make an informed decision.

Posted by: barbara | May 14, 2009 10:53 AM

whoo hoo! count me in! going to by my copy now. :)

Posted by: kristy in germany | May 14, 2009 11:14 AM

I just used the "look inside" feature on the signet version. The print looked quite bold. I was surprised. Is this how you find your version Barbara?

I totally understand your point about making this as authentic an experience as possible. Why spend a summer eating frozen strawberries when the real ones are available and so much better right? I was looking for print size more than anything with the hardcover. I'm not too hung up on the "prettiness" of a book.

Posted by: kelly | May 14, 2009 11:19 AM

I've been wanted to start reading again... It's been a while, but I wasn't sure where to start. I knew I wanted a classic, but there are so many to choose from. I've always been intimidated by Les Miz because of it's size, but I love the broadway musical. We took my mother to see it for her birthday when I was in high school. My mom has the book. I think I'll borrow it from her. I'm so excited!! Thanks, Barbara!

Posted by: Joani | May 14, 2009 11:32 AM

I would love to join in reading it! Thank you for leading Barbara.

Posted by: Addie | May 14, 2009 12:17 PM

Count me in!

Posted by: Sarah | May 14, 2009 12:45 PM

I love classics, but I've never read this one. I would love to join in. I am currently out of books to read, so I just started re-reading Lord of the Rings. I should be done with that in time to start Les Miz! Thanks for doing the research on the best translation for us, Barbara.

Posted by: Becky Miller | May 14, 2009 12:54 PM

I ordered it two days ago from Amazon and it just got here. Wow. That's fast.

Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | May 14, 2009 3:02 PM

I just ordered a copy of the book through you amazon link. I am looking forward to reading it along with you and everyone else involved in this.

Posted by: Laura Suer | May 14, 2009 6:26 PM

This is so exciting! I was way behind everyone in finishing Animal Farm but I did this past weekend and read your commentary from Chap. 2-7. I was very interested in hearing your conclusions from the ending but thought the book club had finished. I am really glad you are going to finish the discussion. Les Miz is my favorite musical and I tried to read the book as a teenager but never got through it. I just checked the version I have and it is the Norman Denny translation so I am going blame it on that.

Posted by: Elissa | May 14, 2009 9:42 PM

Oh I'd love to join in, though this will be the 6th time reading it! An amazing, incredible story of grace and redemption. I've also seen the movie, the Prince Albert Hall video, the live stageplay on tour in Pittsburgh, ans listen to the music regularly. Perhaps obsessed? Or just looking for worthwhile characters, plot, and morals that can't be found in much of modern literature and society?

Interesting to note, Victor Hugo was in exile when he wrote Les Mis. This could account for his, ahem, vivid/wordy descriptions of locations.
Thanks for the recommendation on the translation, Barbara. I'll be requesting it from the library until I find a good sale.

Posted by: Kate | May 14, 2009 10:04 PM

I'll be reading along for the first time. Classics are my favorite reading material now. You are so right in saying how much more rich they are to leisurely read as an adult. (I've had the CD playing for the last two days by the way). I don't have it yet, but I think it would be fun to end by watching the 10th Anniversary DVD. The musical isn't playing near us, but it looks like an International Tour is scheduled for 2009/2010, so one can hope.

Posted by: Crystal | May 15, 2009 4:23 PM

Am so very glad to be part of the book read. I found a copy translated by Lascelles Wraxall authorized by Hugo. Is that good or not so? When do we start?

Posted by: Jane | May 19, 2009 6:59 PM

I got my copy of the Signet edition today. We went to visit my parents in Kansas City and went to Half Price Books. I got a used copy there for $3.18. I'm anxious to get started. I might start ahead of time.

Posted by: Joani | May 23, 2009 8:55 PM

I'm game.

Posted by: Charlotte (Matilda) | May 27, 2009 7:30 PM

I just found your site and I LOVE it already. I had recently been thinking about taking on Les Mis and I hope it won't be too late to join. I will order the book from your amazon site tomorrow and wait impatiently for it!
Hope to be able to catch up with you all!

Posted by: Monica | June 26, 2009 3:53 AM

i am so sorry i didn't know about this earlier. i read Les Miserabes decades ago and would have relished the idea of reading it again.

saw you on Glenn Beck the other evening; really appreciated all three of you; please let me know if you will do something like this again.

Marilyn Mikkelsen

Posted by: marilyn mikkelsen | October 3, 2009 6:42 PM

Are you doing a new book this year, 2010?

Posted by: Ginger | May 28, 2010 6:43 AM

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